Tony Pollard has suggested a couple of additional towns:

"After more thought I reckon Dungog or Gloucester is worth considering. There is awesome riding to say the least (both road and adv) and they are in the foothills of Barrington Tops Nat Park. Nice scenery and towns. And the National Motorcycle Museum is at nearby Nabiac."

Both look of interest. Is there anybody local to the area who might be able to give us feedback on one or both of them?

Cheers,
Susan

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Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

You couldn't of picked a better place
This area is heaven for bike riders, there is so much to see. I don't live in either of these 2 towns but I rode through Gloucester.

It's picturesque town and gets a lot of tourists. As you also mentioned Barrington Tops is not very far from Gloucester.
Never been to Dungog but looks very attractive too.

Check my ride report from Barrington Tops.

Barrington Tops, NSW - ChinaRiders Forums

Try Riverwood Downs resort, may suit your needs.

Sent from my HTC_PO582 using Tapatalk

Thanks Woody, I've fired off an e-mail to their Functions Co-ordinator with our requirements, will follow up tomorrow.

Just to note, we do have Jindabyne penciled in for Nov 7-9, so they are our 'bird in the hand' at this point, if the other venues don't come through on dates etc.

We are determined to have an event in NSW this year, even if it's not the perfect venue we'll at least make a start!

Cheers,

__________________
Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I have not been to a meeting before but close to Sydney is a bit problematic, Either the Hunter Valley or Mudgee is very central for most NSW, both are wine growing areas and well catered for with venues. Both are 3-4 hours from most of NSW and 3 hours of Sydney. Mudgee Small Farms Field Day Site if available, would be ideal.

Anywhere near mines could prove problematic for accommodation.

Hi Susan,
just joined HU and will be heading to the Canwest meeting this year.

I've been to a Ducati owners rally at Murramarang on the south coast of NSW. It's right on the beach and has pretty good facilities.

Here's a link:Murramarang Beachfront Nature Resort | Family Accommodation NSW South Coast | NRMA |

Matt

Dear all, we're getting very close! Riverwood Downs has all the facilities we need for the event, and can accommodate growth of the event. There are a few niggles, which we are discussing!

Matt, I've sent off an inquiry to Murramarang, thanks. The facility does sound great, possibly too small but might be okay for 2014. How many Ducati owners were at the event you attended?

As I said in an earlier post, we are determined to have an event in NSW this year, even if it's not the perfect venue we'll at least make a start!

Cheers,
Susan

__________________
Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Hi Susan,
I think there was at least 150 Ducati folk - a lot of them used the cabins and on site vans. I couldn't see from the site how much camping they had?

Matt

Some late thoughts .. The has been at least one HU meeting in NSW... somewheres around Grafton ... ? Arr there it is Ulmarra.

the HU meeting requirements ..
camping (and rooms for those that want shelter?)
presentation rooms (2?) for movies, talks, power point?
and preferably a pub.

A small community is probably better than a large one. Makes more of an impact (financial) with the local community ... Rydal, Taralga, Rlystone .. one/two pub towns with a 'showground' that can be used for camping, the rooms .. in the pub, local community hall ..

Mixed reviews of Riverwood Downs on http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_...uth_Wales.html .. so I think it depends on your attitude.

I also saw those reviews, and wrote to Riverwood about them. Here's the verbatim response from Kathleen Turner, the Events Coordinator:

"In regard to the Trip Advisor comments, I myself am disappointed on a number of levels, as well as that fact that we don’t defend ourselves as I feel that a large percentage of the negative reviews are unfair or not true.

I do think there are a couple of points we should take into consideration:

1. Statistically, people are ten times more likely to tell someone about a negative experience than they are to tell someone about a positive experience.

2. Speaking to other accommodation operators, it seems to be a growing trend for guests to threaten to write a negative review if their (sometimes unreasonable) requests are not met

3. Most of the guests that submitted negative reviews didn’t bring the issues to our attention while we still had the opportunity to fix the problem.

4. We can only do so much to ensure guests come to us with reasonable expectations

If there are any particular reviews that concern you more than others I’m more than happy to go through them with you in person.

Furthermore, I think that as the old saying goes, ‘you’ll never be able to please all of the people all of the time’. We are a rural, family operated business in a reasonably remote location, and as such I think we have challenges to face that our guests from more metropolitan areas don’t necessarily understand. Riverwood Downs was established over thirty years ago by Chris and Val Hall, and where similar venues have closed or passed through several sets of hands, for all that time Riverwood Downs has been owned by the same family. We have many repeat guests (the Scottish Dancers being a good example) that have been coming to stay with us year after year, so I tend to think we are doing something right.

We may not get it right all of the time. We may not be the newest venue. But I can guarantee that you will find us to be a unique venue in a gorgeous country setting, staffed by an accommodating and friendly team. And for the duration of their stay your guests will be welcomed as guests of our family."

As you say, a lot depends on your attitude. Luckily, our folks are overland travellers or would-be travellers, often to places well off the beaten paths, so they don't expect everything to be the same as home, or if they do they are quickly disabused of the notion!

__________________
Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I am happy to advise that we're in final discussions and should be making an announcement within the week on the NSW venue and confirmed dates!

Greatly appreciate all the suggestions and we expect a good turnout!

Cheers,
Susan & Grant

__________________
Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Hi Matt,

Spoke to Alison at Murramarang today. Although camping and accommodation aren't constrained, their largest presentation room is about 120-150, and no outdoor ampitheatre.

Whilst it might work for this year, we'd be constrained for growth in years to come. She did mention a marquee rental as a possibility, but that's in the range of $10k for a tent to accommodate 200 people - way out of our budget!

Since it takes a lot of work to find a venue, we don't want to change every year, so although the venue looks gorgeous we've reluctantly ruled it out!

Cheers,
Susan

__________________
Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Great Work, Susan

I am delighted that you are holding an HU meeting in NSW! I live in Sydney, and I toyed with going to either the QLD or VIC events last year, but I just couldn't manage the 10-12 hour trips to and from the venues over a weekend - disappointed. I think the Barrington Tops location sounds ideal, certainly in terms of proximity to Sydney. So long as the Riverwood Resort doesn't turn out to be the basis of a future horror movie, I'm sure it will be fine for us rough, tough adventure riders! As Gerald Vince suggests, the only 3 essentials are Petrol, Food and Beer. I will, of course, bring a tent for a bit of shelter too.

As I said, I am delighted!

Best wishes

Trevor

We're just nailing down the last details with Riverwood Downs on meals and camping prices, and inshallah will be opening registrations within the next week! Mark your calendars for Oct 31-Nov 2!

We couldn't have found the venue without your help, and as Trevor says, the only 3 essentials are Petrol, Food and Beer! Since we're all 'adventure travellers', we'll rise to whatever challenges we encounter and keep smiling!

We wish to especially thank Tony Pollard for his invaluable assistance in checking out several possible venues, and of course must also mention Shane Kuhl, our uber-organiser from sunny Queensland, who has made many treks south to help get this and the Victoria event off the ground.

But any HU event needs a team if it's to grow and thrive, so we're hoping you'll consider volunteering when you register and helping to make it succeed! For a list of the types of volunteers we need, see here.

Stay tuned!

__________________
Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com